Ten Commandments for the Teaching Botanist

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR THE TEACHING BOTANIST
1. Thou shalt have no other goals before leading students to learn.
2. Thou shalt not take unto thy class any dried or pickled plants, or
graven images thereof, when living specimens can be found.
3. Thou shalt not take the name, "Great Scientist," unto thyself, nor be
vain.
4. Remember the sabbatic leave, if any; take it regularly to keep thee
wholesome.
5. Honor thy students and thy colleagues, and respect them as equals
except only in thy special field.
6. Thou shalt not kill-the enthusiasm of thy students by over-burdening
them with trivial busy-work.
7. Thou shalt not commit adulteration of student grades, even for a
pretty face or pressure from the parents or the Department of Athletics.
8. Thou shalt not steal-away from the laboratory classes, leaving them
solely to student assistants.
9. Thou shalt not bear false information to thy students, nor bluff, nor
improvise before them.
10. Thou shalt not covet the zoologist's space, nor his budget, nor the
bright man students and the maid students he receiveth from the
premedical and nursing programs, nor any other thing that is zoological.
Source: Palmquist, Edward M. 1956. Stimulation of interest among
undergraduates in botany. Plant Science Bulletin 2(4): 5-7.
http://www.botany.org/plantsciencebulletin/psb-1956-02-4.php#palmquist
_______________________________________________
Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com
The most personalized portal on the Web!
---